Newspapers / The Badin Bulletin (Albemarle, … / Dec. 1, 1920, edition 1 / Page 28
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2 BADIN, NORTH CAROLINA ney dam was left standing, and work was begun at the Nar rows, in January, 1913. Now they changed their plans for powerhouse, plant, and town. The Palmer Mountain site was abandoned; the powerhouse was to be below the dam, and the plant was to be on the big hill overlooking the dam. Today, as you go from Badin to the Narrows Dam, you sud denly emerge from the woods onto a flat-topped hill, which, from the fresh appearance of the soil, and the lack of growth, you judge has been recently excavated. As you pass over the long plankwalk, you see numerous concrete blocks or pillars, each with a projecting anchor rod. This was the foundation for the immense steel structure which was to be the Aluminium Plant. The site covers eight acres, and the mountainside was leveled off at an enormous cost. FOUNDING OF BADIN Meanwhile, down in the valley two miles away, the cattle were grazing lazily, and the farmers were dreaming of their coming harvests. But the prophetic eye of the French saw here a buzzing little city. Here, they said, we will build our Aluminum Plant. This was to be an ore reducing plant, and was so called to distinguish it from the Pot Rooms, or the Aluminium Plant, on the hill. And the town was to be called Badin, in honor of the president of the Southern Aluminium Company. BUILDINGS ERECTED BY THE FRENCH Then followed a period of rapid construction. The val ley became alive with steam shovels, scrapers, drills, crush ers, and so on, manned and superintended by engineers architects, contractors, masons, carpenters, white laborers, black laborers, and convicts. They built the Electrode Plant, Machine Shop, and the Store Room; and, following the de signs of the architectural firm of Pierson & Goodrich, of New York, they erected the Main Office, Garage, Labora tory, Club House, the homes on Henderson Avenue, and about one hundred and fifty apartment houses. This was in 1914. The dam and the plant on the hill, as well as the constructive work in Badin, were being rushed toward com pletion, when lo! the sound of cannon interrupted that of ham mer and crusher. The European war was on! French capital could not be expended in America while the German army was on its way to Paris. So, leaving the Hardaway Contracting Company and a few of their own men to guard the works, the Southern Aluminium Company turned to ward the defense of their own in France. But the war was fast becoming worldwide, and the de mand for aluminum was pressing. Hence the American company was planning to increase its output. COMING OF THE TALLASSEE POWER COMPANY The Tallassee Power Company took over these holdings in the autumn of 1915. Then followed a third change of plans, which resulted in the present situation of powerhouse and plant. Owing to the difficulty of carrying material to the top of the mountain, and to the fact that this company made use of alternating current, and could therefore place che plant farther away from the powerhouse, they decided to place the Aluminum Plant here in town. And as the company had an ore reducing plant elsewhere, they located the aluminum plant on the French Alumina Plant site; and the steel building on the hill was torn down. The founda tion and walls of the powerhouse were town down, and the new powerhouse was placed on the opposite side of the river. FIRST ALUMINUM MADE Plant construction, however, went ahead of that at the Narrows, and the first aluminum was made here in the summer of 1916. We had only one Pot Room then, used the power from the Southern Power Company. THE LAKE FILLS The dam was finished a year later. Trees were cut off under the water line, and the twelve-mile lake began to fill. They say the folks living below here, seeing the mighty river drying up, thought that some dire calamity had be fallen them—perhaps a judgment from the Great Being on account of their sins. Then the bottom lands were flood ed; the Palmer Mountain Site was covered; the back water filled the old canal, and even the Whitney dam was lost to view. CONSTRUCTION OF THE PRESENT COMPANY The power was turned into the plant via the large trans mission line which had been built. Meanwhile, and in the days to come, another pot room was opened, and another, and another, until now we are running six. The apartment houses left without roofing by the French had been com pleted. The Tallassee Avenue bungalows, as well as the cottages up Pine Avenue, were rapidly constructed. The hospital was built. A beautiful theater took the place of the Community Building. A new dam at the Falls was constructed to take care of the low-water shortages; the new schoolhouse was being added to room by room. The coming of numerous stenographers, clerks, and school teach ers brought about the building of the girls’ annex to the Club House. The streets which, during the early days, had stood a foot deep in mud were graded, and the sidewalks cemented. The Ball Park was constructed. And the Negr® village, with its separate ball ground, dance hall, shops, schools, and churches was founded. Time and space is not permitted to tell how these last enterprises took place, but the years ’17 and ’18 saw the most of this work completed. The close of 1919 finds the recent lull in business giving way to a period of great ac tivity. Such has been the story of Badin. Marvelous in its growth, it reminds one of the quickly built war-time towns. But its growth has not been a mere flame in the night- There are elements of community life here which promise to hold whether in peace or war, and nothing tells the story of its depth of growth so quickly as a comparison between the rough, somewhat lawless construction camp of years ago, and the peaceful, clean little city of today, with its self-respecting citizenry, its five new churches, its schools, its lodges, and welfare work.
The Badin Bulletin (Albemarle, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 1, 1920, edition 1
28
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